One Playoff Stat Jimmy Garoppolo Owns Over Joe Montana in the Postseason
By Jon Helmkamp
Jimmy Garoppolo gets a lot of flack, but he’s proven to be a capable NFL quarterback. In fact, in the San Francisco 49ers team record book, Garoppolo has one advantage over Hall-of-Fame quarterback Joe Montana.
Garoppolo wins a lot of games
The more that we see out of Garoppolo, the more he looks like Alex Smith. The moniker “game manager” is starting to get tossed around, and for good reason. Garoppolo isn’t going to dominate a game like others in the NFL are capable of doing, but when he plays a good, smart, safe game, he’s capable of winning with a strong defense and a strong run game.
Does that work? Sure, it can. It’s certainly not the way that the league is trending at the quarterback position, but once again, the 49ers are in the playoffs and got past the first round with Garoppolo at quarterback — this only two years after they were in the Super Bowl with him under center.
Garoppolo has the best playoff winning percentage in franchise history
Not Steve Young, not Montana. Jimmy Garoppolo. That’s who currently has the highest win percentage in the NFL Playoffs at 4-1 (.800). Young was 14-8 (.636) and Montana was 16-7 (.696) in their playoff careers, but they have the stats that matter most — Montana won four Super Bowl rings, and Young won two.
Nobody is comparing Garoppolo to Young and Montana. Those two are enshrined in Canton and are two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play this game. However, maybe it’s time that Garoppolo starts getting more credit than he does. He has made two playoff appearances in the last three years, appearing in one Super Bowl, and advancing to the Divisional Round this year.
2020 was a lost season for the 49ers with a roster marred by injuries. They ended up trading up in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft to draft Trey Lance, who theoretically is their quarterback of the future. But what happens if Garoppolo keeps winning? What if he goes to Lambeau Field and knocks off the No.1 seed Packers at home in the playoffs, reaching the NFC Championship game?
He isn’t the most gifted quarterback, but he’s beginning to compile quite a resume in the playoffs. If he pulls off this upset win, he’ll deserve far more respect than he’s getting.